There's no denying the love that Sef Gonzalez has for hamburgers. After all, the blogger and event manager made a name for himself as his alter ego, Burger Beast.
But it doesn't stop him from pursuing other loves, such as sausages and hair-metal bands.
He says the marriage of hot dogs and music is close to his heart. Before he was Burger Beast, a teenage Gonzalez would lock himself into his room to play metal bands while his mother screamed from the other side of the door. "Funny enough, the first 45 I ever bought was 'Smokin' in the Boys Room.' I don't know if it's a dream come true, but it's close," Gonzalez says.
On November 4, from 5 to 10 p.m., he'll host the second-annual Wiener Bash, a celebration of sausages, along with a dose of men with eyeliner and guitars.
Nearly two dozen restaurants — some traveling from as far as Michigan — will proffer their best frankfurters to a hungry Miami crowd at Magic City Casino. In addition, a panel of judges will choose the best of the wurst.
Competitors serving weenies include Arbetter's Hot Dogs, Babe Froman Sausages, Da Burger Shack, Doce Provisions, Dog 'n Suds (all the way from Michigan), Doggi's Arepa Bar, El Rey de las Fritas, Gilbert's 17th Street Grill, Killer Melts, King of Racks BBQ, Mac & Chess, Meat Eatery & Taproom, Monster Burgers, Orange Bear Grill, Pincho Factory, Proper Sausages, Sweet Dogs, and Twisted Fork Kitchen.
In addition to downing all-you-can-eat sausages, guests can devour desserts and snacks from Wall's Ice Cream, Tio Colo's Bocaditos de Helado, Sweetness Bakeshop, Chifles Snacks, and Wise Potato Chips. Unlimited soft drinks are included to wash down all of that meat, and a cash bar will be available.
And because nothing goes better with a juicy wiener than some music, Great White and Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil will take the stage to sing hits such as "Once Bitten Twice Shy" and "Girls, Girls, Girls," classics from an era when spandex tights were worn to clubs, not yoga class.
Wiener Bash. 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, November 4, at Magic City Casino, 450 NW 37th Ave., Miami; 305-649-3000; magiccitycasino.com. Tickets cost $60 to $125 via wienerbash.com.